Researchers from Macquarie University's Faculty of Science and Engineering and Macquarie Business School will contribute to two new Cooperative Research Centres aiming to tackle methane emissions and plastic pollution.
Macquarie University is a partner in two new large-scale Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) to receive a total of $127 million in Australian government funding, approved through Round 24 of the program announced this month.
The two CRCs will leverage more than $315 million in cash and in-kind contributions from more than 118 project partners from business, government and research institutions, to improve industry outcomes across the agriculture, environment, recycling and manufacturing sectors.
Researchers from Macquarie Business School, the School of Computing and School of Natural Sciences will lead projects in the two CRCs.
The Solving Plastic Waste CRC has received $40 million to transform the way plastics are designed, manufactured, used and recycled, and to develop a solution to remove microplastic pollution from soil.
The Zero Net Emissions from Agriculture CRC has received $87 million to further develop and scale up technologies to reduce methane emissions from grazing cattle and sheep, and to improve crop quality and production.
As a Key Partner in the Solving Plastic Waste CRC, Macquarie University will play a role in all four of the proposed Research Programs. These will focus on materials and design to reduce products’ environmental impact, maximising the recovery and value of end-of-life plastics, implementing a circular economy for plastics in Australia, and mitigating the risk of microplastics in agricultural soils.
Macquarie’s team includes Associate Professor Abhay Kumar Singh, Director of the Centre for Corporate Sustainability and Environmental Finance at the Macquarie Business School, who will apply expertise in financial and economic modelling, economic calculators, databases and policy frameworks to the challenge of creating a carbon-neutral circular economy for plastics.
Professor Tao Gu, from the School of Computing, will also supply expertise in innovative ways of sensing and connecting the physical world, and embedding AI intelligence towards the development of an online platform and tools for companies and sectors to improve performance.
Dr Fei Liu, a molecular chemist and Senior Lecturer from the School of Natural Sciences, will lead a team working on the Zero Net Emissions from Agriculture Research Program 2: Towards methane-free cattle and sheep.
Dr Liu currently works with industry partners to develop methane emission reduction agents as part of new feed technology development.
“Our work with the CRC will give us opportunities to interact with researchers and industry partners from a broad base to continue our work to develop and test agents, supplements and foraging plants for feed blocks,” she says.
“These will provide good nutrition for ruminants such as sheep and cattle, while also reducing the methane emissions they produce, with better understanding of the precise mode of action of the feed additives.”
Dr Liu’s research team will also be supported by the natural products chemistry expertise of Professor Peter Karuso from Applied BioSciences, and expertise in emissions monitoring from Emeritus Professor Brian Orr from the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences.
Both CRCs aim to be operational by July 2024 and there will be opportunities for other Macquarie University academics to get involved in research activities. If this is of interest, please contact the Major Research Initiatives Team.